The view from Ørnfløya over Sommarøy is gorgeous! The hike up Ørnfløya is short and easy, perfect if you like the idea of getting an amazing view with minimal effort. This hike can be done as a day trip from Tromsø or if you are road tripping through Norway.
How to Hike Ørnfløya
Hiking Stats
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation Gain: 155 meters (510 feet)
Length of Time: 2 to 3 hours
Trail Guide
Getting to the Trailhead
Ørnfløya is a large bump of rock that overlooks Sommarøy. It is located just 5 minutes from Sommarøy and Brensholmen. If you are coming from Tromsø, it is a one hour drive to get here.
There are two trailheads (from what we saw) on the road that wraps around Ørnfløya. We parked at the small carpark on Brensholmvegen, joining five other cars, maxing out the available parking here. GPS coordinates: 69°36’28.6″N 18°04’12.2″E
The trailhead is right across the road. If you see this sign, with the hard to read carving “Ørnfløya,” you know you are in the right spot.
Hiking Ørnfløya
It’s a slow and steady climb up a rocky dirt trail. Some parts of the trail can be muddy, depending upon the recent weather.
It doesn’t take long for the view to really open up.
Kara’s view over Brensholmen
The real treat comes from the top of Ørnfløya. From here, you have 360° views of the area, and the highlight is looking out over the small islands of Sommarøy. Picture perfect!
The top of Ørnfløya
It doesn’t take long to get to the top of Ørnfløya (about 20 to 30 minutes) but you need to allow enough time to linger at the top. We spent almost one hour on top of Ørnfløya, exploring the various viewpoints and taking photos and drone videos.
When you have had your fill of the view, return to your car the same way.
Ørnfløya by Drone
Want to see more? Check out Tyler’s drone video of Ørnfløya here:
Visiting Sommarøy…is It Worth It?
Many visitors to Norway skip right over Sommarøy, putting their time into Tromsø and the Lofoten Islands instead. In fact, if you drive from Tromsø to Senja, you could literally drive right past this “hidden treasure” without even knowing what you are missing.
And yes, Sommarøy is a treasure. I like to think of it as Norwegian paradise. Hiking trails, amazing views, tiny islands with white sandy beaches, and picture perfect red cabins dotting the water’s edge…can it get any better than this?
Plus, Sommarøy is very quiet. Just a handful of people live and visit here, and at times you may feel like you have it all to yourself.
Where to Stay in Sommarøy
The Sommarøy Arctic Hotel is the only game in town. They offer an assortment of traditional hotel rooms and cabins by the water.
We stayed in a two bedroom apartment on the second floor of a cabin. Our apartment had a full kitchen and 2 balconies that offered views in two different directions. Tyler and Kara slept in a bedroom with bunk beds. Tim and I shared a tiny “full-sized” bed in the second bedroom. Our bed was the base of a bunk bed and it was just a little bit larger than an American twin bed. This was cozy and too small for two adults to share. A larger bed for two adults would be much better and this is our only complaint about the hotel.
View from our cabin
Sommarøy Arctic Hotel
Drone photo of the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel
Where To Eat
Again, the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel is the only restaurant in Sommarøy. The food is expensive but these prices are typical for most of the restaurants we ate at while in northern Norway. The food is decent but nothing spectacular.
Traveling on to Senja
If you have plans to travel to Senja, the Brensholmen – Botnhamn ferry is just a 10-minute drive from Sommarøy. The ferry runs roughly 5 to 6 times per day and it takes 45 minutes to sail between towns. We got in line one hour early for the first ferry and we were the first in line.
For the ferry schedule, click here.
Do you have plans to visit Sommarøy or road trip through Norway? Comment below if you have any questions or want to offer advice for our readers.
More Information for Your Trip to Norway
10 Day Northern Norway Itinerary with the Lofoten Islands
The islands of northern Norway are the perfect destination if you enjoy hiking, scenic drives, and jaw-dropping landscapes. On this northern Norway itinerary, road trip from Tromsø down through Senja and the Vesteralen Islands, ending with several magical days in the Lofoten Islands. This is the type of trip where every day just seems to get better […]
Norway Bucket List: 20 Epic Things to Do in Norway
Norway is the land of fjords, quaint fishing villages, Vikings, trolls, the northern lights, the midnight sun, scenic drives, and some of the best hikes in the world. If you are planning a visit to this amazing country, here are 20 of the best things to do in Norway. So far, we have visited Norway […]
Lofoten Islands Itinerary: Build Your Dream Adventure in Norway
The Lofoten Islands are one of the most stunning areas of Norway. This is where majestic mountains meet brilliantly white sandy beaches, fishing villages dot the coastlines, and hiking trails criss-cross their way through some of the most breathtaking landscapes in Europe. If you are planning your Lofoten Islands itinerary, we have a lot of […]
How to Hike Segla, An Iconic Peak in Senja, Norway
The hike up to the summit of Segla is one of Senja’s most popular hikes. And this was our main reason for visiting Senja. Many visitors skip past Senja, heading directly to the Lofoten Islands. But those people are missing out seeing a gorgeous part of Norway and some hidden gems. That’s fine…that means less […]
How to Hike Svolvaer Fløya & Djevelporten in the Lofoten Islands
There are two ways to get a spectacular view over the town of Svolvaer…hike to the top of Svolvaer Fløya or climb Svolvaergeita. We did both on the same afternoon, making this one of our most memorable days in the Lofoten Islands. Svolvaer is one of the largest towns in the Lofoten Islands. Fløya is […]
Hiking to Måtind on the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail, Vesteralen, Norway
Norway never ceases to amaze me. You know how you see photos online and think to yourself, “yeah, that looks nice…I’d like to do that.” And you get there and it’s so much better than you thought it would be? For us, that was the Stave-Bleik Coastal Trail on the Vesteralen islands. It’s not an […]
10 Days in Norway: The Fjords and the Lofoten Islands
10 days in Norway…the options are endless for the best way to explore this gorgeous country. We have been to Norway twice and after each trip we wrote a 10-day Norway itinerary. Our 10 Day Norway Itinerary only covers the fjord region, from Stavanger to Ålesund, with epic hikes, fjord cruises, kayaking, and more. Our […]
The Ultimate Norway Travel Guide: How to Plan a Trip to Norway
Norway Travel Guide Breathtaking, adventurous, rugged, inspiring, photogenic, extraordinary…these are all words that can be used to describe Norway. It is hard to look at photos of Norway without saying “Wow!” over and over again. Norway is the land of fjords, quaint coastal towns, the Northern Lights, Vikings, trolls, dramatic photo spots, scenic drives, and […]
Svalbard Travel Guide & Itinerary for First Time Visitors
Svalbard. An arctic playground where there are more polar bears than people. This is a land of glaciers, the northern lights, the midnight sun, and frozen tundra. Svalbard may seem barren, but it is filled with arctic wildlife like reindeer, walrus, and polar bears. If you like the idea of exploring the great outdoors, your […]
Kayaking Adventfjord and Hiking Hiorthfjellet: A One Day Adventure in Svalbard
Svalbard offers a wide range of adventure activites. Ride on a rib boat and search for walrus, kayak in front of an active glacier, or cruise out to an abandoned mining town. For a really cool one day adventure, how about kayaking across Adventfjord and then hiking to the summit of Hiorthfjellet, one of the […]
Our Svalbard Budget: How Much Does it Cost to Visit Svalbard?
Do you have big dreams of visiting Svalbard? Then you probably also have the question how much does it cost to visit Svalbard? The short answer: it can be very expensive. We spent four days in Svalbard at the end of June 2018. Here is our Svalbard budget, with a full cost breakdown of flights, […]
Where to Stay in the Lofoten Islands | Top Picks for First-Time Visitors
If you are making a decision about where to stay in the Lofoten Islands, you have a lot of options. Take your pick from rorbuers (fisherman cabins that have been converted into small apartments), hotels, hostels, and campsites. Not only do you have to choose what kind of accommodation to stay in, you also have […]
First Time Doing the Pulpit Rock Hike? Read This First!
The hike to Pulpit Rock (Preikestolen) is one of the most popular hikes in Norway. With great views, a relatively easy hiking trail, and convenient accessibility from the town of Stavanger, this hike has a big appeal for many visitors to Norway. With that being said, you should expect big crowds in the summer months. […]
Comments 2